8945th Worldwide Cleanup Gives Joy and Hope to Vanderbijl Park Residents

Photo Credit: Supplied

Vanderbijl Park got a much-needed spruce up and a clean up this past Sunday, thanks to the continued environmental efforts of the ASEZ student volunteer group.

Vanderbijl Park, South Africa (09 September 2025) – Undeterred by challenges and driven by the vision of a cleaner, safer world, ASEZ carried out its 8945th Worldwide cleanup initiative in Vanderbijl Park on Sunday, 2 September!

Building on their previous efforts in the CBD and nearby areas, these passionate volunteers set their sights on the illegal dumping ground in Davisson Street, Thomas Street, and parts of Living Stone Boulevard, picking all kinds of litter, removing shrubs and bushes in partnership with the Emfuleni Municipality.

Around 40 volunteers from Vanderbijl Park, Johannesburg and South Korea picked up almost 150 bags of trash in a significant response to climate change, protecting the environment and reducing crime.

Earlier in the year, the residents had expressed safety concerns regarding the open field in Davisson Street, where grass and bushes grow tall, especially in spring and summer, attracting criminal activities and ongoing illegal dumping.

Arona Sevensters, one of the senior residents who had been passing by, said she hoped the cleanup could inspire the residents to take care of the environment.

“Thank you so much for cleaning up this place. You’re really shining God’s light, and I hope all people here can follow this example and keep the environment clean. I am 76 years old now, and it was so frustrating for us. I even wrote letters about this illegal dump. My son and I even tried to clean up by ourselves, but in less than two weeks, it looked the same. Please express our sincere gratitude to the organisation at large,” she concluded.

The community’s Ward 10 Councillor, Peter Verbreek, expressed his gratitude to the volunteers and encouraged them to keep on going.

“Thank you so much for uplifting the community through this good work. I see the banner says 8945th Worldwide Cleanup Campaign, which means so many people have been uplifted by this great work worldwide. I really want to encourage you to keep up this good work and continue to uplift and inspire communities and all people globally,” he said.

Benice Somo, Assistant Manager at Waste Department of Emfuleni also expressed her gratitude to ASEZ in assisting the municipality.

“I really thank you for all this great work. I think we are now working together really for the community, and I thank you for assisting the municipality through these impactful cleanups and activities,” she said.

Wandile Mazibuko, ASEZ member, said he was moved to see how the place looked afterwards and the impact it had on the residents.

“I was really surprised at how beautiful the area looked after the cleanup. Many residents came to express their gratitude for the cleanup. By being united with, the cleanup was a great success,” he shared.

ASEZ is an international University Student Volunteer Group from the World Mission Society Church of God, which carries out volunteer services in 178 countries around the world, under the slogan, “Save the Earth from A to Z”.

The international movement acts to solve practical problems worldwide through various environmental and forest clean-ups, biodiversity conservation, forest fire prevention, and all sorts of campaigns in promoting environmental awareness to create a global forest ecosystem and combat climate change.